Years ago, illness brought him to bed. What Hilario García did not imagine at that time was that this experience would lead him to make the most expensive wine in the world: a 340,000 euro bottle, whose value does not stop increasing due to the high offers that are on the table to acquire it, although no one has achieved it so far.

The high price of its star bottle lies in the fusion between art and wine. It is a 16-liter container, the equivalent of 20 bottles of its gold series, which is also designed by Alberto Rodriguez, a young promise of painting who has exhibited at the prestigious Accedemia di Belle Arti di Fierenze. These particularities have caused that the initial price of the bottle, on sale from mid 2020, out of 340,000, although now it has increased thanks to the offers received.

The birth of two exclusive wine series

Before the illness, the businessman managed a tax consultancy. After several operations he decided to face a experimental ozone treatment, what was his salvation. Once cured, he began to investigate the benefits of ozone both in medicine and in veterinary medicine, until he made the decision to test it on its vines. “When you are born in the vineyards you are always linked to them”, he explains in Business Insider. Thus, in 2009 he created his first wine, at the same time he began to build his winery, AurumRed, located in Las Pedroñeras, a municipality of Cuenca.

In this place, their two exclusive series of wine: the oro and the the payment. When they saw the light, the first series had a price of 2,000 euros and the second of 200 euros. But, the rise of wine and resale increased their value “exponentially” to reach the 25,000 euros the gold series and the 1,250 euros silver. “The cost is set by the market itself,” says García.

A unique product

These wines, to which we must add a cheaper white one of 30 euros, have peculiarities that influence their quality and price. “My wine is not like the others,” insists the businessman. “AurumRed is the only wine in the world that, turning the glass clockwise, has a different flavor and aroma than if we do it later in the opposite direction”, says the winemaker. In addition, it guarantees that, without using chemical elements, your product does not become vinegary once opened, but rather improves its flavor as the months and years go by.

To preserve the quality of his products, García has carried out “constant research” on wine over the years, introducing some modifications “on the fly” himself. “I realised that the bottles tasted better when rested vertically instead of horizontally, its usual position. I then came to the conclusion that the secret was in the shape of the bottle, which generated pyramidal energies when I was standing and it turns out that it favored the taste of the wine, “he revealed in 2018 during an interview for ABC. He is so meticulous in the manufacture of his product that he does not let anyone touch his vines: “If you are looking for an extraordinary product, the entire production process must be manual. The presence of people influences as it is very important the information given to the wine”.

In addition to grapes, García also likes to take care of his customers. Only 300 bottles are manufactured per year of the gold series, Y half is reserved for years so that those customers who bought it for the first time have “A specific bottle whenever they ask for it.” The same happens with the silver series, of which about 6,000 bottles are obtained annually. Thus, only those who acquire it in the first place can taste that same vintage again. However, these productions are going to change shortly. Hilario has announced that the company is about to close an agreement whereby much of your harvest will be in the hands of someone “very powerful”, which will lead to a significant increase in prices.

The pandemic has driven its sale

In general, AurumRed clients, in addition to being passionate about wine, “have a high purchasing power”, Although there are some mileuristas have wanted to “indulge themselves” and have bought some of their bottles, although those belonging to a most economical series, whose price is around 210 euros. What he has noticed with the pandemic is that the interest in purchasing exclusive products, including his wine, has increased during the pandemic: “That idea of ​​not knowing what is going to happen to us has made people cling more to that moment of pleasure “.

Another fact derived from the pandemic is that sales to the hotel industry have been reduced: “With the closures and movement restrictions, now it is the consumer who buys directly from us and enjoys it at home.” However, their presence in restaurants was already rare before the pandemic, as these wines are only served in exclusive restaurants in Madrid, Marbella and Valencia. It also has only a couple of outlets in the capital.

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